Maelstrom of the Shikon
by MaelstromBankai
Summary: When the Shikon no Tama is shattered, a terrifying force of nature awakens once more to prowl the lands. A legacy of a long forgotten era, the best weapon forged from the flames of war and master of the nine Great Demons...just who is this 'Rikudou Sennin? What motives does he have? Beware...a legend walks amongst us once more. NarutoxHarem. Godlike Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Inuyasha and any other anime or manga that makes an appearance in my fanfic. If I did, I would've made Naruto a womanizer and super pervert towards all the hot women he could find…and probably give Inuyasha more hand-to-hand skills than canon.**

**Prologue: A Miko's Desire…**

There was an eerie silence in the surroundings, the kind of quiet that was usually associated with graveyards and cemeteries. It was unnatural, stole any positive emotion you had and left with a void of negative emotions surging through your chest. Thick fog encircled the area, throwing all sorts of illusions to those unlucky enough to find themselves wandering around those grounds. Strange and dangerous flora and fauna called that area their home, their master a Demon amongst Great Demons; flowers that could rip flesh into pieces, animals that were neither demon nor mere beasts and nine servants that were feared throughout the history of humanity served him loyally. After all, one did not travel through the Forest of Death and live to tell the tale about it.

However, the sound of footsteps echoed through the land, measured and strong in their march. As the person stepped through the fog, idly crunching a few bones of some creature in the process, her figure was revealed. She was a beauty beyond compare, the true embodiment of the concept of a priestess. Long and beautiful black hair that wastied into a loose ponytail by a ribbon fell past her slim waist. She had flawless alabaster-white skin, stood around five foot six and had big brown, doll-like eyes. She wore the traditional dress of a priestess, which constituted of a white jacket with _sode-kukuri_ (cords) through the sleeves and open shoulders, strings called _muna-himo_ were attached to each lapel and tied in front to keep the garment closed. She also had a _kosode_, with the sleeve fitting somewhat closely like a modern loose shirt and extending slightly past the wrist. The slits on the side of her _hakama_, and the openings at the sleeves and shoulders of her _hitoe _(jacket) showed the white _kosode_ she sported. She also wore a bright red _nagabakama_ (a very long hakama), which included the small board on the lower back. She walked with a grace that few managed to refine in their lives, making her way through the dense vegetation towards the center of the Forest. Her reserved brown eyes paid no mind to the plants that circled her, opting to march ahead resolutely.

A man stumbled out of the fog, wearing rags that were so flimsy that they couldn't even be called clothing and bleeding heavily. He gazed at her with despair in his eyes, his bloodied hands stretching out towards her. "P-Please…help me, P-Priestess…" His voice, low and haggard with blood dripping from the corners of his mouth would've made most people stop and try to help; the woman just walked by, ignoring the man with a nonchalance that was unerring.

"Be gone. I have no time to waste on mere illusions." She spoke, her words soft yet clearly annunciated. As she passed by the bleeding man, he grinned darkly before disappearing into mist. Peering further ahead, the woman ventured forwards into the forest.

As she made her way through the forest, her mind wandered back to the incident that had sparked her sudden journey through the infamous Forest of Death…

**-Flashback-**

The woman was making her way through a small village, smiling and nodding her head at all the villagers she passed. Each of them responded kindly, though there were a few stares and shifty looks sent her way by some of the more base men. She ignored those as best as she could, though there was a lingering discomfort within her at the intensity with which their eyes trailed over her body.

Luckily, a commotion attracted the attention of all the villagers and she breathed a small sigh of relief as the men left. A moment later, curiousity reared its head and the Priestess found herself drawing closer to the rapidly forming mob. As she drifted closer, her eyes widened when they caught sight of the dying woman on the ground, a blanket the only thing keeping the dirt from smearing her bloody body.

Picking up the pace, the Priestess pushed through the mass of people to get towards the downed female. Random people saw her approach and called out, parting the way to make it easier for her, "Make way for Priestess Kikyo!" "Priestess Kikyo!" As she reached the pale and heavily bleeding woman, Kikyo knelt down and cupped the barely breathing woman's face.

Looking towards the nearest person, she decided to try questioning them. "What happened to her? How did she get like this?" Her soft yet authoritative voice snapped many of them out of their gawking and they all converged around her like ants on a pile of sugar.

"Lady Kikyo, she was found at the border of the Forest of Death." One villager said, shooting worried glances at the woman on the ground. "It seems like she was attacked by those demonic plants that live in that place, but when we first found her she kept making incoherent statements about some demon living in the Forest."

Another man stepped up, his visage solemn and worried. "When we first checked her for other wounds, we discovered that she had been subjected to some torture and rape, something that could explain the apparent madness she was suffering from."

Kikyo turned back towards the woman, only to feel her heart clench uncomfortably when she felt no pulse from the woman. Her hand clenched into a fist and shook slightly; how had her life changed so much that she was no longer fazed by the death of another person?

Deep down, she knew what had started this change; before, she and her family had been content with their simple lives. They weren't rich, nor did they have any need to be unnecessarily wealthy but they were content. She had friends to play with, loving parents who taught her right from wrong and demons never bothered with their village. Those had been the happiest moments of her life…

Then it all ended when she discovered her gift. The moment she foolishly revealed her abilities to her parents. Everything changed with that incident; before long, she was sent away towards the mountain shrine to become a Priestess, a decision her parents had made without her consent. She had been initially excited, her childish naivety conjuring up dreams of making her parents proud by becoming a powerful priestess. However, as time passed, the letters from her parents soon came to a halt, leaving her sad and confused. When she finally returned home, she discovered the reason why her parents had ignored her…

Kaede.

Her younger sister, born a year after she left, was the reason she had been ignored. Her parents had been adamant that Kaede needed more attention because she was barely a month old and that Kikyo didn't really need them to look after her, but she could see the truth. She had glimpsed it back when she first revealed her powers, but hadn't known what their looks had meant until she returned.

Fear…her parents feared her powers.

Abruptly rising to her feet, Kikyo gripped her bow tightly as she stared the villagers in the eye. "Tell me, where can I find this 'Forest of Death'?"

**-Flashback End-**

Kikyo cleared her thoughts as she came across a large bush blocking her path. Maneuvering her way through the foliage, albeit with some minor difficulty, she found herself standing in front of a tree that made her start in surprise. The tree was the largest one in the forest, being easily visible from all the different corners of the land; it stretched for many miles towards the sky, several branches spreading out magnificently towards the endless sky. Craning her head backwards to get a good look at the tree, Kikyo's eyes narrowed as she recalled something. _'This…this must be that large tree I saw when I first entered here.'_

A slow, steady clapping sound made her heart stop for a moment before she turned about, trying vainly to calm her rapidly thumping heart.

The predominant colours of his garb were white and gold; colours of death and wealth respectively. The first item of clothing that one would see would be the white undershirt, drawing attention to the emerald jewel that was seemingly embedded in the shirt. A long-sleeved, ankle-length white coat with black lining draped over him and opened at his chest. Held together by three 'x' shaped marks, with the emerald jewel situated in the center of the middle one, the coat flared out into a number of ragged coattails. White, tattoo-like bands with crimson ends were around his neck, acting as a collar and his pants were streamlined and form-fitting yet not uncomfortable. He wore white gloves, with black "v" shaped marks on them whilst his forearms had "x" shaped marks on them.

The man was a fairly tall, fair-skinned man with long blond hair which had black tinged ends and two long bangs framing his jaw line, making his golden hair look like a mane. His eyes were also unusual; the man had black sclera coupled with crimson slitted eyes. On both of his cheeks were three thick whiskers that looked like claws. Kikyo could feel the amount of power the man was currently emanating and took a cautious step back; after all, Great Demons were very dangerous and hard to kill, even for talented prodigies like herself.

They stared at each other, silently taking in the other's looks before the unknown man smirked. "And why is it that a Priestess such as yourself is so deep within my domain?"

She felt her heart skip, a funny feeling worming through her chest at the sound of his voice. Calming herself as much as she could, Kikyo's brown eyes locked with his scarlet ones. "I want you to kill me."

**A/N: Yep, good place to stop. Consider this to be my last update before my exams start. I have decided to hold off my Naruto/Demon King Daimaou crossover until next year, as well as the Naruto/Sekirei rewrite I'm planning.**

**Now, just to clear some misconceptions some fans had about this: Sesshomaru has a twin sister, not Inuyasha. That sister is the Fem!Sesshomaru I placed within the harem. Also, certain characters I will mention may never really be seen (Inutaisho, Kikyo's parents, Kagome's father etc) but you'll get a somewhat good understanding of their character.**

**Now, about Naruto's character…the only thing I can say is that he won't have any problem attracting females. That and he likes to play with his opponents before finishing them off.**

**Review!**

**MaelstromBankai.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Inuyasha and any other anime or manga that appears in this fanfic. If any manga references are found within, they do not belong to me but to their respective owners.**

**Chapter 1: The Girl Who Overcame Time…**

The village was in turmoil, he idly noted as he observed from afar. The winds caressed his body as he hung from the air itself, his form hidden by the clouds he manipulated around him; the gentle breeze felt like the touch of a lover, sending pleasurable sensations coursing through him as it surrounded him, protecting him with its divine power.

His eyes watched with vague interest as he watched the villagers attempt to restrain a red-clad and silver-haired person using nets and harpoons. They managed to successfully pin the man-for it was a man, he discovered as he peered closer despite the distance between them-but it was all for naught; the young man leaped high into the skies, stretching the nets to an impressive degree before slicing through them with his claws. Landing on a nearby gate, avoiding the spears and roped weapons that some of the more skilled humans threw at him, the young man threw himself towards one of the shrines like a speeding rocket, crashing through the building in an impressive display of inhuman power.

He kept his eyes trained upon the shrine, even as more of the armed fighters charged into the structure to attack the silver-haired man. Moments later, the youth exploded out of the shrine towards the eastern section of the village just scant seconds before the shrine exploded. As the man twirled himself about mid-air to avoid some of the burning debris, the observer's eyes finally revealed a glint of genuine interest as he spotted something strange clasped tightly within the youth's right hand. The way his body was angled allowed the observer to clearly see the sphere that seemed to be made out of some crystalline material. It was somewhere between a marble and a ping-pong ball in size, and was a soft pink colour held together by fang-like beads in some sort of necklace shape.

The youth then landed on nearby steps, terrifying some of the civilians as he dashed past and jumped towards the forest. Given the fact that all the opposition towards him had been dealt with, the man's body language was triumphant and exhilarated. As he sailed through the air, a cocky smirk adorned on his face and radiating accomplishment in his steps, a sudden shout erupted from one of the shrine staircases that caught the attention of both the observer and the runaway man.

"INUYASHA!"

The observer's eyes flicked over to the woman who just screamed, catching sight of the notched arrow and trail of blood that steadily seeped from her right shoulder. Her facial expression was calm and collected, but her eyes burned with a special blend of hatred and pain as she let the arrow fly. It was an expression he had seen many times on the faces of various people, himself included; the eyes of one betrayed by someone close to their hearts.

The arrow flew straight and true, embedding itself through the youth's chest and lodging itself and the man against a nearby tree. The observer made note that Kikyo had intentionally struck such that the man would be sealed against the Tree of Ages, though he had no idea why she would do so. This Inuyasha character's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as the sphere fell out of his slackened hands and landed at the mid-point between him and Kikyo.

The observer watched as Inuyasha weakly reached out, displaying sharp clawed digits, towards Kikyo. He made some mumbled comments, something that the observer didn't really care for, before he slumped forward with a peaceful expression. A moment later, Kikyo begun her labored walk towards the fallen sphere; each step she took, the trail of blood would grow just a little bit larger just as she shook harder. When she finally reached the sphere, she none too gently sank to her knees, discarding her bow with haste.

A smaller girl, wearing a simple yukata as well as a bandage over her right eye, rushed to her side and knelt down beside her, panic evident in her eye and actions. "Big Sister! You're hurt really badly!" Several other men gathered round the priestess, distress etched on their faces as they watched her. They all knew that even she wouldn't survive from the extent of her injuries.

Kikyo's breathing became labored and the observer wondered if he should intervene and save her life. "I-I forgot who I…I now see what…" A harsh coughing fit struck her, abruptly terminating her words and sending the crowd into some hysterics. The observer sighed and briefly closed his eyes. 'What's taking her so long to die? Shouldn't she have already passed on?'

Grasping the jewel as her coughing fit subsided, Kikyo weakly smiled at the girl. "Don't worry Kaede, I won't feel the pain soon. Take this," she lifted her hands to show the jewel to her sister, "the Shikon no Tama (Jewel of Four Souls) and make sure to burn it with my body." Her eyes momentarily hardened. "It must not fall into the hands of those who would abuse it. I shall take it with me to the Otherworld…"

Her words stopped as she saw that everything around her had stilled; the expressions on the villagers and her sister's face, the leaves that hung in the air in an intricate design and even the blood droplets that dripped from her wound were suspended in mid-air. Her brown eyes widened momentarily before a wry smile settled on her face. "I wasn't expecting to see you around, let alone at this particular time," she said, turning to see a familiar face staring down at her slumped form.

Naruto, the demon she had sought out so long ago, shrugged lightly and settled into a cross-legged seating position. "I had a feeling that you would meet your demise soon…I just didn't expect to witness it like this." The blond eyes the wound, taking note of the damage done as well as the minute wisps of demonic energy that clung to it. "It's somewhat sad; not only is your desire to die fulfilled in a twisted manner, but I also lose out on the sublime pleasure of your company."

Kikyo chuckled hollowly, something that didn't really suit her. "How sad indeed. Still…I don't mind what I have done with my life. The only possible regret I have…is that I couldn't have more time as an ordinary woman." Her tone was so sad and filled with longing that Naruto reached out and gently cupped her cheek. Lifting her head slightly, his crimson slit eyes held her doe-like brown ones in a far gentler gaze than she had ever been graced with.

"And I regret not meeting you sooner, Kikyo." His soft words only added to the sadness she felt and she blushed lightly as a strange and pleasant feeling crept within her heart. When he drew closer, her heart began to beat faster and stronger as the new feeling took root within her chest and prevented her from denying herself of her desire. As his lips neared hers, she hesitantly angled her head slightly and rose up slightly to meet his lips in a symphony of emotion.

This time, their kiss was soft and gentle yet filled with emotions that spoke volumes. It wasn't heated, nor was it one that spoke of an end; it was a promise. One to remember each other till the ends of time.

Later that day, as the priestess Kikyo's body was burned along with the Shikon no Tama, people would later swear that she had died with the peaceful and content expression of one who has lived a satisfying life.

**-500 Years Later, Tokyo-**

"Shikon no what?" Within the storeroom of the Higurashi household, two people sat within the well-kept room and were engaging in conversation…though one of them felt it was more like a lecture. The one who spoke, a female, examined a keychain closely. She was a rather attractive young woman, with a curvaceous figure and well-toned thighs. She had somewhat pale skin, long wavy black hair with a noticeably grey outline that was sometimes portrayed as blue and big brown eyes. She was wearing a pink sweater and grey pants that showed off her developing womanly body.

"Shikon no _Tama_, my girl." The second person sternly corrected. He was an elderly man who wore a traditional Japanese Shinto Priest outfit, apparently the current custodian/guardian/caretaker/owner of the Higurashi Shrine. "The Jewel of Four Souls."

The female brought the keychain to eye-level, inspecting it intensely. "You don't actually think tourists are gonna buy these dumb key chains, do you?" She questioned dubiously.

The elder closed his eyes, sighed and proceeded to correct her. "That is not just a key-chain. That crystal at the end is a replica of an ancient jewel which-" Whatever he was about to say was cut off by the sound of the keychain ringing. When he opened his eyes, he saw his grand-daughter holding the keychain in front of their cat, who was trying its hardest to grab and play with it. When she looked up from teasing the cat, he cleared his throat and began again. "As I was saying, that crystal at the end is a replica of an ancient jewel which-" The sounds returned, halting his lecture once again. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he continued once again, "An ancient jewel which-"

"You do remember that it's my birthday tomorrow, right?" His grand-daughter asked, clasping her hands together and giving him an earnest expression, completely ignoring his third attempt at a lecture.

The old man laughed somewhat nervously as he answered her. "I planned to wait another day, but well…"

"So you did get me something?! Hand it over." She playfully demanded, a bright smile on her face as she waited eagerly for whatever it was her grandpa had gotten her.

However, that happy expression disappeared and was replaced with a 'what the fuck' look as he handed over a mummified demonic webbed hand. "That, my dead, is an authentic mummified hand of a water imp, which-"

"Here Buyo. Eat." She detachedly handed the hand over to the cat, which chomped into the hand and walked off with it.

"Uwaaarrgghh! That's an antique!" Her grandfather yelled as he took off after the cat.

As she watched him run off, the girl sighed heavily and lay down on her side. Lying down in the quiet room, her mind went over the happenings of the day; they had had a test, one that she barely studied for and was sure she was gonna fail. Then, during lunch break, Hojo had asked her out again, though she managed to turn him down gently. Eri, Ayumi and Yuka had bugged her the entire day afterwards, demanding why she had turned him down again and she managed to escape the very second the last bell rang.

Kagome Higurashi felt herself sigh once again as she came out of her reverie. _'Why can't they understand that I'm not interested in Hojo? I mean, sure he's a great guy; smart, kind, caring and good-looking, but I can't just see him as anything other than a friend.'_ She took a look at her body, particularly the parts where she was sure most of the guys would find themselves fixated by.

Due to having a body that matured early, Kagome found her popularity amongst her class rising by the time she hit thirteen. Whilst she wasn't as fully developed as some of the seniors and certain girls in her class, she had found herself amongst the top ten popular girls in their year. This often led to various attempts from many boys to go out with her, even one creepy incident where a certain Kumagawa Misogi had tried to molest her.

Shaking off the memory, Kagome stood up and headed towards her room for a short nap. It would be awhile before Mama began to prepare dinner, so she could afford to lie in for a bit. Opening the doors to the storehouse, Kagome blinked as the last rays of sunlight hit her in the face. Squinting slightly, she admired the setting sun for a few moments before continuing towards her room.

Climbing up the stairs, Kagome entered the hallway to see her mother carrying a bag of groceries towards the kitchen. "Mom, why don't you let me pack the groceries away?" Kagome said as she stepped forward, gently relieving her mother of the heavy-looking bags.

Mrs. Higurashi was a middle-aged woman who wore generally plain clothing around the house. Giving Kagome a grateful smile, she thanked her and headed towards the bathroom to freshen up. After Kagome finished packing away all the items, she climbed up the stairs leading to their bedrooms and finally let herself fall unto her bed. As she felt the sinful softness of her bed, an errant thought made her lazily reach for the alarm clock at her bedside.

"Let's see…six o'clock should be a good time to wake up," she mumbled to herself. Setting the alarm clock back on her nearby desk, Kagome yawned tiredly before discarding her pink sweater and pants, revealing a crimson T-shirt underneath and pure white underwear. Halfheartedly kicking the discarded articles of clothing to the foot of her bed, she snuggled underneath the comfortable duvet like a feline and closed her eyes.

Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

**-Dream Sequence-**

The first thing she saw was the woman. She was a beauty beyond compare, the true embodiment of the concept of a priestess. Long and beautiful black hair that wastied into a loose ponytail by a ribbon fell past her slim waist. She had flawless alabaster-white skin, stood around five foot six and had big brown, doll-like eyes. She wore the traditional dress of a priestess, which constituted of a white jacket with _sode-kukuri_ (cords) through the sleeves and open shoulders, strings called _muna-himo_ were attached to each lapel and tied in front to keep the garment closed. She also had a _kosode_, with the sleeve fitting somewhat closely like a modern loose shirt and extending slightly past the wrist. The slits on the side of her _hakama_, and the openings at the sleeves and shoulders of her _hitoe _(jacket) showed the white _kosode_ she sported. She also wore a bright red _nagabakama_ (a very long hakama), which included the small board on the lower back.

However, Kagome noticed that she was almost identical to herself. _'What's going on? What am I seeing here?'_

The woman was staring at someone, a handsome man if Kagome was honest with herself. The man was a fairly tall, fair-skinned man with long blond hair which had black tinged ends and two long bangs framing his jaw line, making his golden hair look like a mane. His eyes were also unusual; the man had black sclera coupled with crimson slitted eyes. On both of his cheeks were three thick whiskers that looked like claws. predominant colours of his garb were white and gold; colours of death and wealth respectively. The first item of clothing that one would see would be the white undershirt, drawing attention to the emerald jewel that was seemingly embedded in the shirt. A long-sleeved, ankle-length white coat with black lining draped over him and opened at his chest. Held together by three 'x' shaped marks, with the emerald jewel situated in the center of the middle one, the coat flared out into a number of ragged coattails. White, tattoo-like bands with crimson ends were around his neck, acting as a collar and his pants were streamlined and form-fitting yet not uncomfortable. He wore white gloves, with black "v" shaped marks on them whilst his forearms had "x" shaped marks on them.

"I want you to kill me." The woman said, snapping Kagome out of her inspection of their appearances. The man's smirk never faltered, but Kagome noticed that he had arched a brow.

"Oh? How unusual for a priestess to seek the embrace of Death, especially from her mortal enemy…" The man slipped his hands into his pockets and cocked his head like a fox. "Suppose I humor you and grant your request, what's in it for me? I doubt that there is anything that you can offer me that will persuade me to do so."

The woman's face tightened and her eyes cast themselves downwards; to Kagome, the woman looked like she was contemplating something that brought about conflicting emotions within her. The woman spoke, her voice so soft and hesitant that Kagome almost didn't catch what she said. "I…What if I gave you an object that would increase your power?"

Surprisingly, the blond chuckled at her question, drawing questioning looks from both the woman and Kagome. "And just what sort of object is it that you speak of? Actually, forget that; I have no need of anymore power, so your offer is of no value to me."

The woman took a step back, looking very unsettled by the man's words. "You would refuse the power of the-"

"Priestess, I have no interest in depending of any hunk of rock or substance to become strong. If that is all you have to offer, then I'm afraid that our meeting has come to an end." The man held out his hand and pointed at the woman. "Kamui."

**-Reality-**

The startling ringing of her alarm clock had her jolting out of her bed, wide eyed and more than a little disoriented from her sudden awakening. Calming down her wildly beating heart, Kagome ran her hand through her hair and got out of her bed. Gathering her clothes and slipping them back on, her mind went over the dream she just had. _'That woman…why did she look a lot like me? Was that supposed to be me? And that man…'_ Her eyes turned contemplative as she went over his words. "Why did he say he had no need for anymore power? It's almost as if he was the most powerful being…"

Taking a brush to tame her somewhat wild hair, she bit her lips in thought. _'Have I met anyone who looks like him before? For some reason, he seemed very familiar to me…' _She doubted she had met anyone like that at school before; ever since that Kumagawa incident, Kagome had been very selective of the guys she hung out with and even those that were in this group didn't see her often.

"Big Sis, dinner's ready!" Kagome jerked at her brother's call and hurriedly finished her brushing.

"Coming!" As she bounded towards the dining room, she idly wondered if she'd dream about that mysterious young man again.

**A/N: Alright, I've officially started the rewrite to 'Inari: The Fox God' and I must say, it is much better and easier to write now that I'm paying close attention to details. If anyone is interested in adopting Inari, let me know and we'll talk about it.**

**Now, there are going to be some changes to various characters, especially Kikyo and Kagome. When Kikyo died, bits and pieces of her memories and feelings for Naruto were passed down to Kagome, which explains why she had a dream regarding those two. She has seen some of Kikyo's other dreams, but from Kikyo's perspective and point of view. This dream was the first one that she was able to see Kikyo 'face to face'. I'm not revealing the exact nature of Kikyo's relationship with Naruto until she is revived and meets him after so long, though I haven't changed the fact that she fell in love with Inuyasha and was with him for a while.**

**Hope you like this chapter. Please remember to read and review. Oh, and by the way, I've decided to add a Fem!Madara to the harem. That is a final decision and I will not change it, even if you guys decide to flame me. Spoiler alert: she's also gonna be joining the harem in 'Crimson Beast of Destruction'.**

**MaelstromBankai.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Inuyasha and any other anime or manga that appears in this fanfic. If any manga references are found within, they do not belong to me but to their respective owners.**

**Chapter 2: …and the Progenitor-Part 1**

As the Higurashi family sat down for dinner, with Kagome sitting directly opposite her grandpa and right beside her little brother, the room soon descended into the quiet clatter of utensils as each member of the family set about helping themselves. As Kagome loaded her plate with an assortment of vegetables, her eyes twitched as she heard her grandpa make a sound of ecstasy. "Why, these pickles are full of history!" He exclaimed, his eyes twinkling merrily as he munched on another slice.

"Not half as full as you are." Kagome bluntly stated, her words piercing Grandpa Higurashi's form like an arrow and dispelling whatever lecture he was about to deliver. "Didn't Mama just buy these from the supermarket a few blocks away?"

Mrs. Higurashi tittered softly as she dug into her meal, her brown eyes exuding amusement and laughter towards the somewhat normal occurrence; before puberty began, Kagome had been rather obedient and reverent towards her father-in-law. However, after her thirteenth birthday, that attitude had gradually changed to what it was today and was a source of entertainment for her and the family. "Sota dear, please pass the soy sauce." She politely asked, ignoring Grandpa's petulant sulking.

Her youngest son, an eight-year old with a thoughtful look on his face, paused in his actions and readily passed the desired sauce towards his mother. A rather average boy of average height and weight, Sota had black hair just like his father and distinctive bangs on his right side. Having inherited the same expressive brown eyes of his mother as well as her pale skin, he was a perfect mixture of both parents; not too many traits of either parent were distinctive and those that were discernible were very hard to identify.

The meal soon lapsed into silence as each of them focused on finishing their respective meals. Within minutes, Sota was the first to finish his large-for-his-age meal and set about packing away the dishes. Joining him shortly with washing the dishes, Kagome hummed a little tune to herself as she scrubbed away. Her mother soon joined in by rinsing the various plates, pots and pans that had been used in preparing the night's meal.

Within ten minutes, everything had been packed away and the shrine closed for the night. Grandpa, who often did the least amount of work during the day, was delegated the task of locking down their living quarters. By the time it was 9 o'clock, everyone was fast asleep.

**-Dream Sequence-**

Kagome found herself back in the strange dream she had had earlier, though there were several differences this time around; for one, the setting was no longer a strange forest but now took the form of a natural hot spring. The area was pleasant to view, one of those naturally beautiful areas that Ayumi often described to them in school, and the air was nice to breathe in. Secondly, the eerily similar woman from before made a reappearance, though this time was remarkably different from the other dream; instead of her previous outfit, she was dressed in a simple white bathing robe that hinted at her womanly figure. As Kagome beheld her properly this time, she noticed that the woman was far older than her; she looked to be in her early twenties, and her proportions were such that Kagome felt an odd sense of satisfaction and envy. Whilst she didn't necessarily like the attention that her body gave her, especially from some of the males in her school, she couldn't deny that a tiny part of her wanted a bit of that woman's beauty. The woman resembled some of the unearthly beautiful priestesses commonly seen in eroge, something she had the misfortune of stumbling upon when she had borrowed Yuka's laptop for some of the movies she had downloaded, and she at least wanted a bit of that when she got older.

Unlike before, the woman's hair was let down, the long curtain of black hair falling behind her like a veil. Clutching a wooden pail, the woman scooped some water from the springs and dumped it over herself three times. To Kagome, the entire thing looked like a ritual of sorts and her eyes grew curious as to what the woman was doing. Gathering another scoop, the woman was about to pour the rest over herself when she suddenly stiffened.

Since she was quite close to her, Kagome was able to see the woman's eyes narrow briefly before they returned to their calm and detached expression. "Who is there?" the woman called out, her tone firm and slightly annoyed at being spied upon. As moments passed, with there being no answer to her question, the woman gripped the pail tighter and her voice grew colder. "I can sense your presence, so you might as well just come out and face me."

Once again, a few moments passed before there was any response. One of the trees, about a meter away from the woman, suddenly bulged outwards like it was undergoing a rapid growth spurt. Kagome's yelp of surprise wasn't unexpected as she watched the wooden parts suddenly change to become flesh in such a smooth transition that within moments the blond man from her earlier dream appeared.

Calmly stepping out of the tree like it was an everyday occurrence, the blond pocketed his hands and stared blankly at her. Unlike before, where he had been quite talkative, he was silent and appeared speculative. As Kagome glanced back to the woman, she was surprised by the wariness the woman now exuded. As she watched closely, trying to puzzle out the abrupt shift in behavior, a thought struck her. _'Wait a minute…didn't she have a bow and quiver of arrows last time?' _Eyes darting about in search of the woman's weapon, Kagome watched with some trepidation as she noticed it lying further away from the woman, almost halfway behind the blonds' position.

"Oh…it's you." The two stared at each other for some time, though the man's gaze was far more soul-searching than the woman's. Averting her eyes after half a minute of stalling, the woman continued with her cleansing though her movements were noticeably stiffer and less graceful than before, no doubt the effect of having a male audience. Kagome could somewhat relate to the woman's situation; whenever they had sports, especially when boys played against girls, she always found herself more on edge whenever she had the eyes of the boys on her. It didn't help that the female gym uniforms flaunted off their figures.

The man blinked. "You make it sound as though you expected someone else." It was an observation, but Kagome sensed the unasked question between the two. The man leaned back towards the tree, still gazing at her in contemplation. "What's wrong? You haven't acted like this towards me since the first time we met and I can tell that something is bothering you."

The woman paused, her arms stilled in the midst of another spilling. "It's…," the woman let the pail flop into the springs, uncaring of the water that splashed her, "I…I met someone earlier today. He was after an artifact that has been placed in my care, and he attempted to kill me for it.

The man made no comment, silently encouraging her to continue. "As predicted, I easily defeated him and spared him." Turning slightly so that she could gaze towards him with one of her eyes, she looked more lost and unhappy than Kagome had ever seen…then again, considering the fact that she had seen her only once, maybe she wasn't exactly the best person to determine that. "Was I wrong to stay my arrow, despite what I have been taught? Was it foolish of me to give him another chance, despite the fact that he would never offer me the same curtsey were our roles reversed?"

The blond said nothing, but his actions spoke louder than words; quickly rising from his 'perch', the distance separating the two was quickly closed as he took long strides, uncaring of the water that splashed against him or the fact that his clothes were being soaked. Grabbing her gently, the blond hugged her reassuringly from behind, which she responded to by allowing herself to be embraced. "It doesn't matter. Just because you were taught to end the lives of demons, doesn't mean you should always follow those teachings. Your decision to let him go may indeed appear foolish in the eyes of others, but _they are not you_. If you feel that purifying the demon is not the answer to the problem, then go about it the way you believe in. People may call you too idealistic, but you can't let them get to you; what matters to me is not whether it's true or not but that you believe it to be true…or rather not that you _believe_ it, but that _you_ believe it."

The woman's figure shook slightly, her voice hitched as she continued. "When I pinned him against a tree, just as I was leaving…he said that I reeked with the stench of demon blood. That no matter where I go, he'd always be able to track me by my bloody scent." The woman stared down at her trembling hands, obviously disturbed. "I…I'm just a human…I can't go against my nature…and yet, I am forced to lest demons overpower me and destroy the peace my village has enjoyed."

Lifting her eyes, which were swimming with unshed tears, she was no longer the calm and competent person Kagome had initially perceived her as; she was just a woman who had struggled to endure her current lifestyle and was very close to snapping under all the responsibilities that had been placed on her shoulders. "Why is it so?"

**-Reality, the Next Day-**

Once again, the vicious ringing of the alarm clock roused Kagome from her bed with a groan. Glaring tiredly at the loudly shrieking contraption, she nevertheless raised herself from the comfort of her bed and headed towards the bathroom to get ready for school. A few minutes later, a much fresher and awake-looking Kagome walked out towards her closet. Gathering her school uniform, which was a green and white sailor fuku with a red ribbon tied at the front and laced through a loop attached to the blouse.

Brushing her hair as thoroughly as possible, Kagome quickly yet carefully packed her bag for the day's subjects. Slinging the moderately heavy bag over her shoulders, Kagome bounded down the stairs two at a time, brushing past her grandfather in the hallway. "Good morning, Gramps! Gotta go early!" She called out as she dashed past him.

"Good morning to you too, Kagome!"

Stopping in the kitchen to greet her mother and snag a slice of toast, Kagome quickly devoured her meager breakfast before grabbing her already prepared bento. "Thanks for the lunch, Mom!" she said, already heading out of the house.

As she stepped outside, she adjusted the brown sandals she was wearing before taking off towards the exit stairs. However, as she was about to pass by the shrine well, her eyes caught the form of her little brother standing around the entrance and holding something within his hands. Slowing down to a stop, Kagome called out, "Sota! What're you doing there?"

Turning around, Kagome took note of his somewhat nervous expression. "Ah, Big Sis! I'm not doing anything here." At her unconvinced look, the boy sighed. "Look, I'm just here to get Buyo out from inside the well; he's been in there since yesterday and I was getting worried."

Running a hand over her face, Kagome just nodded and crept inside the well structure. The darkness of the place made everything look creepier than it did, but Kagome wasn't so concerned about that. "Buyo!" She called out, hoping to draw the household cat out as quickly as possible.

Sota crouched at the stairs leading to the well, peering down with trepidation. "D'you think that maybe he's at the bottom?"

Kagome settled herself into a crouch as well, taking care not to let her skirt flap about and reveal anything to anyone. Resting her chin upon her palm, she answered in a slightly impatient tone, "So go down there and get him." Honestly, it wasn't that hard; get down, call out Buyo and grab the cat. Easy as pie.

"But why do I gotta be the one to go down there?" Sota whined, obviously uneasy about going down there by himself.

"Because you're the one who's looking for him." Kagome answered.

At that moment, both siblings heard scratching sounds sounding from the well. Hiding behind his sister's back, Sota was already shaking in fear. "S-Something's down there!"

Kagome turned to face him with a look that clearly showed how she felt about him at that moment. "Uh, yeah…the cat?" Seeing that Sota wasn't going to go down to the well, she rose from her crouch and began to head down the stairs. As she neared the well, the creaking of the boards increased, which further heightened the creepiness of the scratching.

When she got to the last step, a particularly loud scratch made her stop and the beginning tendrils of apprehension began to take hold of her. _'That sound…it's coming from inside the well…'_ Slowly nearing the sealed well, Kagome nervously gripped the corners of the sealed boards. A stray thought told her to just forget the whole thing, convince Sota to come back after school and search for Buyo, then hurry up to catch the bus for school.

Of course, that would mean she would appear to be scared and Sota would never let her hear the end of it if she backed down now. _'Get a grip girl! Just open it and get the cat out!_' Banishing the apprehension she felt, Kagome squared herself and flung open the boards keeping the well shut.

She screamed at the sight that greeted her.

There was nothing that resembled the imaged she had grown accustomed to during her childhood; instead of a normal two meter drop into the earth, it now appeared as though she was getting a close in-depth look at the universe from the entrance. That, however, wasn't what had made her scream; no, that was the reaction to the _thing_ she saw floating within that huge space of…well, nothingness.

A pale-skinned, blind naked woman with long black hair was staring straight at her with a demonic grin on her face. Half her body was human enough, though those parts looked somewhat deformed and more than they should be, but the other half of her was that of a centipede. Lunging forward with strength that belied her thin frame, the woma-demon grabbed her shoulders roughly and pulled her into the well.

Hearing Sota's scream, Kagome tried to turn towards him and shout out a warning but was stopped by the thing's second pair of limbs holding her mouth closed and gripping firmly around her windpipe. The third pair wriggled all over her body, stopping at her ankles to restrain her.

Her face forcefully brought right in front of the being, Kagome's wide and terrified eyes watched as the thing's eyes regained their healthy light, the milky white disappearing within seconds. The thing threw its head backwards, a smile growing on its face as they slowly fell deeper into the strange surrounding. "Oh, how glorious it is to be alive once more. Already, my body and strength are returning!"

Bringing herself closer to Kagome's face, the demon spat out its tongue, an impossibly long appendage that wrapped itself around Kagome's neck and caressed her cheeks with disgusting sliminess. "But still, how is it that such an event were to occur when in the presence of this mortal? My powers only return in this manner if I were to have the jewel…unless," Her eyes widened manically, her arms tightening at whichever part of Kagome they were holding and drawing a wince from the restrained girl. "You," the voice turned exhilarated and eager, something that made Kagome even more afraid, "You have it, don't you? Give it to me!"

Kagome grunted as the hands gripping her shoulders tightened drastically. Struggling to free herself, she just barely managed to grunt out a response. "I don't know what you're talking about! Let GO!"

The demon hissed angrily. "Wretched girl!" Her lips stretched impossibly, revealing very long and sharp teeth that dripped saliva. "Die!"

Bound and restrained as she was, Kagome had no way to escape the situation and screamed in pain as the demon sank her teeth into her shoulders effortlessly. A crunching sound was heard as the demon tightened its teeth around her anatomy, drawing blood from the wound. Kagome's scream doubled in intensity.

A wave of pure energy suddenly burst out of her body, throwing the demon off her with enough force to send her tumbling down into the depths of the bright lights. As the demon tumbled, however, she gradually came to a stop within the cosmos. Gazing upwards, she narrowed her eyes as she saw that the girl had disappeared. Coiling her body around, Mistress Centipede absently licked the smeared blood on her arms.

A noticeable increase in her power stopped her actions and she gazed at the blood in contemplation. "That girl...she carries the aura of the Jewel of Four Souls. Nay, it is as though she gives off the same aura as that of the Sacred Jewel." She muttered to herself.

After a minute of silent pondering, the demon snapped her eyes open. "I see…I see now! The girl has the jewel within her body!" She crowed in jubilation. "Yes! If I can consume her before any other demon catches her scent, then only I will wield the power of the Sacred Jewel!"

Descending into the depths of the cosmos, though with a purpose now in mind, the demon let out a maniacal laugh as she spiraled towards the bottom. "Run, run as fast as you can, little girl. It won't matter, for you will never escape me!"

**A/N: Two things I want to talk about in this chapter: the dream and the ending. First of all, the dreams are random and aren't consistent. For example, they will show Kikyo at her best, when she is most vulnerable, her secret desires etc. Basically, everything about Kikyo. Now, this scene is supposed to throw some light on Kikyo's character and her relationship with Naruto. I always found canon Kikyo to be a bit of a turn-off simply because you never really see her as a human; you get a general impression of her as you plow through the series but there are very few instances when you can tell what Kikyo is feeling. The dream was intended to show that she too is human and has her limits; more of these will be coming, so get ready. It was partly inspired by what I saw in the anime special, 'The Tragic Love Song of Destiny'.**

**Now, regarding the part with Mistress Centipede taking a chunk out of Kagome; it all goes to answer a question I had when I rewatched the first episode: how did she know that the Jewel was within Kagome? So, I had her ingest Kagome's blood, notice the effects of it and compare that to whenever she was near the jewel to logically conclude the jewel's location and give a reason to hunt down Kagome.**

**Now, has anyone heard of the latest Naruto game in development? It's called Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution, and the only details that have been released so far is that players will apparently be able to perform jutsu and ougi combinations, like Sasuke and Naruto combining Rasengan and Chidori. The confirmed characters so far are Naruto (Base Form), Sasuke (EMS), Rinnegan Tobi, Sakura (she's one of the titular characters so we should expect her to be in it) and Kurama Naruto (there's actually a sick picture showing Naruto in his T.B.M readying a huge Rasen-Shuriken while simultaneously forming a Biju-Dama). Just to warn you, CC2 are in charge of its development, so it would be best to keep your expectations low.**

**Read and review**

**MaelstromBankai.**


End file.
